European Parliament event highlights Christian persecution worldwide

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The ongoing crisis of Christian persecution worldwide was highlighted at the European Parliament last week, at a special presentation of the Open Doors 2023 World Watch List (WWL) of the top 50 countries where believers are most persecuted, European Times reports. Open Doors is an international NGO that monitors persecution levels and helps persecuted Christians around the world.

On January 25, MEP Peter Van Dalen and MEP Miriam Lexmann hosted the European Parliament event to present the WWL, noting that 360 million Christians are reported by Open Doors to face high and extreme levels of persecution, European Times reports. According to Open Doors, 5621 Christians were murdered, and 2110 church buildings were attacked last year.

Speakers at the event included Christians who have suffered extreme persecution themselves. Among these speakers was Dabrina Bet-Tamraz, a Protestant from the Assyrian ethnic minority in Iran, who is now living in Switzerland.

During her address to the European Parliament, Bet-Tamraz called on the Iranian regime to “order the immediate and unconditional release of Christians detained on spurious charges related to the practice of their faith and religious activities; and uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief for every citizen, regardless of their ethnic or linguistic group, including converts from other religions.”

In his address at the presentation, host MEP Van Dalen said: “It is highly concerning to see that persecution of Christians is still increasing in the world. It is therefore very important that in all its work on human rights, the European Parliament does not overlook the right to freedom or religion or belief!”

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